According to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the sport of boxing has sorely missed him. “When I left the sport, it was like the sport was hurting without Floyd Mayweather. What was lacking in the sport of boxing when I was gone? Charisma! Flair! Flashiness! You don’t see fighters in ostrich and snake skin and gator; just different stuff. You gotta, you know, be just…I’m just a risk taker. I’m an entertaining risk taker, that’s all I do,” stated the undefeated 6-time world champion in the latest episode of Mayweather/Marquez 24/7.
It’s ironic to hear Mayweather call himself a risk taker considering that his style of fighting is just the opposite of that. Calculating and cautious, Mayweather tends to spend more time studying and breaking down his opponents throughout the course of 12 rounds. It’s very rare that you’ll see him take a risk and trade with someone, relying instead on his defensive abilities and waiting for the opportune moment to capitalize on a mistake and land effective counter punches. On the contrary, a risk taker throws caution to the wind and goes for broke against opponents who are clearly outclassed. Considering that many fans have criticized Mayweather for the lack of excitement in most of his bouts, I think it’s safe to say that inside the ring, Mayweather is far from a risk taker.
That being said, I do give him credit for being a risk taker outside of the ring. Wearing ostrich trunks or chinchilla robes is a risk that’s sure to have the PETA loyalists tracking him down. Not to mention, playing the role of villain is definitely a risk when it comes to your legacy and fan appreciation. Unfortunately, boxing doesn’t need entertaining risk takers outside of the ring. What the sport needs are more risk takers inside of the ring; guys that are willing to go all out to give fans the type of fight they want to see. The late great Diego Corrales was a risk taker! The late great Arturo Gatti was a risk taker! And right now, Manny Pacquiao is the risk taker that fans identify with when it comes time for an entertaining fight. That’s why he’s currently considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound. If Floyd Mayweather Jr. ever hopes to regain that throne, he’ll need to be a risk taker inside the ring tomorrow night and give the fans the type of performance they expect to see from the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Later in the episode, Mayweather remarked, “When I see blood, it make me, it make me hungry. It’s crazy for the dude. You know, when I see blood, it’s like, I guess it’s like an animal; go straight for the kill, you know? In my sport, it’s either kill or be killd.” While that’s a great sound bite, we’ve heard it all before and that’s part of the reason why fans are turned off by Mayweather. He simply doesn’t fight the same way that he talks. Now that he’s back from resting his body in retirement, I hope that Floyd does take some risks inside the ring because, quite frankly, talk is cheap so come Saturday night, I expect to see a performance that lives up to it.
